For a growing number of Americans, retirement isn't about taking long-overdue vacations or spending long days in the sun playing golf; it's about scraping together enough money to pay for basics like food and housing.

The percentage of older people living below the poverty line has climbed steadily since 2005, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study. For Americans ages 65 to 74, poverty rates increased from 7.9 to 9.4 percent between 2005 and 2009. Among those ages 75 to 84, rates increased from 7.6 percent to 10.7 percent. Nearly 15 percent of the oldest retirees were living in poverty in 2009.

For many of America's oldest citizens, living below the poverty line translates into an empty belly. Over the last decade, the number of seniors experiencing hunger increased 80 percent, according to a new report from the Meals on Wheels Research Foundation. In 2010, more than one in seven skipped meals because of lack of money or expressed anxiety about not having enough food.....
Failing health drives poverty among the elderly, according to Employee Benefit Research Institute. Seventy percent of retirees who have fallen on hard times have suffered acute health conditions like cancer or heart problems, compared to 48 percent of those who live above the poverty line. Similarly, 96 percent of impoverished senior citizens have some sort of health condition, such as diabetes or arthritis. The same is true for just 61.7 percent of their wealthier peers.

6. Yup. The "raise" was also offset by increases

5. It's to bad that the tea party doesn't want to realize these stats. If they only understand

why these safety nets were put there in the first place to help the elderly we wouldn't be going through this hell. Families aren't stepping up to take care of their elderly because they have their own immediate families to worry about financially. I know I don't want my son and his wife to take care of me and my husband. I don't know any elderly that don't want to be independent financially.

20. I'm worried what are the proposals from the republicans. So far tax breaks for the corporations and

rich hasn't helped anyone. What are they going to do to replace the Affordable Health Care act? Now you got them worried about it that even West said some of Obama's AHC is good and we need to keep. But no they aren't going to do anything.

You have to like COMPROMISE. The dems have tried and tried. You need to tell your buddies in congress to start COMPROMISE. It isn't a dirty word. I don't blame the dems. They have and are trying to get them to work.

24. Oh, the corporate Democrats "compromise" when it comes to austerity budgets, all right.

A more accurate word for it is "collusion." And it will continue until we get the corporate money out of both parties. This is a systemic problem, and it has to do with bought politicians and the replacement of national goals with corporate goals....that is, the replacement of human vision with dollar signs.

Of course Republicans are worse. That's how the one percent keep us voting for corporate, right-leaning Democrats. It's so easy to get people to vote for right-wing policies when the only other candidate is offering even scarier right-wing policies.

Voting is not enough anymore. We are in serious trouble as a nation precisely because we can't get a unified opposition to policies that are clearly destructive and immoral. This country has enormous wealth. There is NO excuse that children, or old people, or anyone in the United States of America goes to bed worrying about his/her next meal, or shelter, or basic medical care. NO excuse.

No, the answer isn't more "compromise." The answer is standing up en masse against what is wrong no matter what fucking party it is coming from.

25. Well I will agree with you on the collusion part. The sad thing I see in our future is if they cut

more from the safety net from the elderly and children and not raise any taxes it will be hell in the streets. We will see what is going on in Greece to some extent happen here. Just like when the students were shot at Ohio State. That when enough was enough and finally the congress listened. I am afraid someone will get shot in the streets and it will bring more people out and more people will get hurt. Maybe then congress will listen.

29. Your right. I just get mad when I think there are people in this country going to bed

in pain and very hungry. What happened to america's humanity? We have lost our way. I think god has given up on us. Our ministers, rabbis and priests are to damn busy getting involved in politics to be helping the people they need to help.